Shaving device



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atented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE snavmc DEVICE Application .lune 26, 1937, Serial No. 150,498

5 malins.

This invention relates to the art of dry shaving in which the shaving or hair cutting operation is etiected without the use of preliminary treatment as hy detergents, and in particular, it relates to dry shaving mechanism of the type in 'which the cutting of the hair is effected by a shearing or clipping action, that is lby the interaction oi' relatively movable cutting edges.

@ne of the objects of my invention is the provision ot an arrangement whereby the discharge ci out hairs from the apparatus is facilitated and clogging of the shaver avoided and more particularly the provision of such an arrangement in a dry shaver in which the movable cutter is arranged to engage the face.

it further object of my invention is the provision in a dry shaver comprising a stationary cutter and a movable cutter arranged above the stationary cutter and provided with a central section to engage the face and toothed sections laterally thereof.

Ii'or the attainment of these objects and such other objects as will hereinafter appear or he pointed out I have shown by way oi example, several illustrative embodiments of my invention in. the drawing, wherein:

litigare l is a view showing a complete assembly including a shaving head according to my invention mounted in a handle;

lllhgure 2 is a sectional view through a shaving head embodying inv invention and teiten solol stantially on the line limi? oi Figure 5i looking in the direction oi the arrows;

Figure 3 is a view oi my head in perspective portions losing lorolren away to expose the interior mechanism;

liiigure d is a plan view on an enlarged scale ci portions ol the cutting teeth oi the shear plate and the cutter rnemher; and

li'igures t, o and 'l are end views respectively oi modified forms of my invention.

hiciere going into a detailed description or the various elements of the mechanism disclosed herein I will premise that my invention is con cerned with a shaving head, that is, that portion oi a shaving device that performs the shaving or clipping function and that is customarily mounted on a handle, which may contain an electric motor to actuate the moving part-s oi the shaving head. In general my shaving head comprises a pair of relatively movable members one of which may be termed the shear plate and the other the cutter and these members are each provided with cutting edges that move across each other to effect a shearing or clipping action.

Both the cutting member and the shear plate are shown as having face engaging portions and the cutter is shown as superposed over the shear plate. In order to secure the necessary contact between the teeth of the cutter and the shear 5 plate, means are provided for the purpose of drawing them together.

In order to provide for the disposal of waste and to prevent its entrance into the inner parts of the razor, which might clog it, I have shown m the cutting areas disposed on the outside of solid portions which are unbroken so that the Waste can find no entrance thereinto while on the 'other hand, the cutting portions are provided with cutting teeth spaced ltrom each other by slots of such configuration and so disposed that the waste will pass easily therethrough, and the teeth are so disposed that they overhang the body of the shaving head, so that the Waste passing from the cutting area through the slots will issue therefrom at points outside the hody of the razor. 4

I have further found that to secure eiicient action, it is desirable to have the cutting' edges formed on teeth that are separated hy relatively narrow slots. But since such narrow slots are adapted to receive a limited number oi' hairs I have shown the slots as provided with widened entrance portions, as a result of which construction the number ot hairs entering the wide en- 'trance portions and thereafter guided into the narrow portions will he greatly increased.

Referring now to ulfigure l it will. he observed that lf there show my shaving head, indicated in general hy it., as mounted in a handle ld, which, desired, may contain a source oi motive power or any suitahle or preferred type, and where an electrical motor is used, electrical connections tor connecting the same to a suitable source oi power may he provided. Such connections are indicated at U.

Suitable means may 'he provided for locking the shaving head d in the handle ld and for this purpose a set screw D is shown. This construction provides for ready removal of the shaving head ior cleaning or replacement purposes.

' On referring to Figures 2 and 3 it will be observed that my shaving head comprises a hase block i0 which seats directly in the handle B and may therefore he termed a fixed member.

The base block ill is shown as formed with a longitudinal slot or channel l2 and as having its upper portion widening laterally outward as indicated at i4 and i6. The laterally extending portions i4 and IB constitute what may be termed fit a shear plate and they are each broken up into a row of teeth 20 separated by slots I8 whereby a comb like construction results.

The slots I8 are shown as terminating short of the channel I2, so that shaving waste passing through said slots cannot enter the channel and the inner end walls of said slots are shown inclined in the general direction of the outer walls of the 'base block I0.

The upper surfaces of the portions I4 and I6 have their end portions lying in the same plane but their inner portions slope downwardly as indlcated at 22 so as to result in a concave conformation, and in this concavity seats the upper portion of a cutter 24 which is generally T- shaped in cross section, and the stem of the T is slidably mounted within the channel I2 of the base block while its cross bar comprises the laterally extending portions 26 and 28 which seat on the concave portion of the shear plate. The upper surface of the cutter 24 is shown as flat and as lying in the same plane as the aforementioned upper surfaces of the end portions I4 and I6.

The portions 26 and 28 of the cutter are shown as broken up into teeth 30 by inwardly extending slots 32, and it will be observed that the spacing of the teeth 30 is the same as that of the teeth 20 of the shear plate, and that the inner ends of the slots 32 are spaced a substantial distance from the stem of the T, whereby, entrance of shaving waste into the channel of the base block I0 is prevented.

Cutting edges are formed at the juncture of the side walls and the upper surfaces of the teeth 20 and the side walls and lower surfaces of teeth 30 so that as the teeth 30 move relatively to the teeth 20 these cutting edges cooperate in a shearing action on hairs positioned in the slots between said teeth. The shaving waste resulting at these cutting zones will pass through slots 32 or I8; in either case, it will be conducted to points exterior to the shaving head.

It will be observed that the teeth 20 extend beyond the teeth 30, so that in the process of shaving during which the razor is moved over the surface to be shaved substantially in the direction of the slots, hairs will rst enter the slots I8 of the shear plate,- and as the motion of the razor over the surface to be shaved continues, they will enter the slots 32 vof the cutter, and will then be subjected to the shearing action.

In order to increase the eiiiciency of the shaver, I have shown the slots I8 as provided with outwardly flaring entrance portions 34, so that as the razor is moved in the direction of the slots over the face or other surface to be shaved, a great proportion of the hairs on said surface will enter said widened entrance portions of the slots I8 and will be guided by the walls 34 into the narrow portions of the slots I8 and subsequently into the slots 32. 'I'his construction is clearly shown in Figure 4, and it will be observed that before shearing takes place, it is necessary for the hairs to enter the slots 32 between the teeth 30 of the cutter, and that before they reach the cutting zone after entering the widened portions 34 of the slots I8 they must pass through an intermediate portion of slots I8 which is of restricted width and has parallel sidewalls which serve effectively to keep the hair from being pushed out of the slot by the action of the cutter.

I have found in practice that a slot width for the slots I8 of .005" to .018" and a slot width for the slots 32 of .006" to .010" gives highly satisfactory results, and these dimensions may be associated with a tooth pitch of 40 to the inch.

In order to keep the cutting edges of the cutter and the shear plate in contact which is obviously necessary for their proper functioning, I may provide any suitable or preferred means for this purpose, such for example, as the resilient means shown in the drawings, in which a tension spring 40 is shown as anchored at one of its ends to a. pin 42 suitably supported within the body portion of the cutter 24, as by being positioned within a recess in said body portion, while its lower end is anchored to a pin 44 suitably supported in base block I0, as by being positloned in recesses in said base block. It will be observed that the springs 40 will follow the movable cutter in its motion, since their ends are free to move laterally; this construction results in reduced friction over one in which a stationary pressure member is made slidable in relation to the movable cutter.

In order to 'provide for relative motion of the cutter and the shear plate, whereby the shearing is effected, I provide means for reciprocating the cutter, and this means may be of any suitable or preferred type. By way of example, I have shown the cutter as provided with a recess 46 in its lower surface and into this recess is shown projecting the upper end of a. lever 48, which may be caused to reciprocate or oscillate by suitable motive power contained in the handle B. This construction, it will be observed. permits ready disconnection of the shaving head A from the handle B since it is only necessary to loosen the set screw D. In positioning the head in the handle it is only necessary to effect registration of the recess 46 with the end of the lever 48 while placing the head A in the recess provided for its reception in the handle B and thereafter the set screw may be used to lock the head in place. At 50 a recess is shown in the head A into which the end of the set screw may project and thereby effectively lock the head to the handle.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent end views of various modifications in which the shear plate and the cutter have various contours that I have found satisfactory in use.

In Figure 5, the shearplate is shown with a.

concave upper surface while the cutter has a convex upper surface, this convexity resulting from a bevelling off of the toothed side portions.

In Figure 6 the shear plate has a fiat upper surface and the cutter has a convex upper surface in the form of an obtuse wedge.

In Figure '7 the shear plate has a flat upper surface and the cutter also has a iiat upper surface. Instead of wedge shaped cutter teeth as shown in the other forms of my invention the teeth of the cutter are shown as having their end portions blunted and rising abruptly from the shear plate.

While I have herein illustrated and described several embodiments of my invention it will be` o 1. In a shaving device, a toothed shear plate, a toothed cutter mounted for movementl in slidable adjacency to said shear plate, and said teeth on the cutter being adapted to cooperate with said teeth on the shearplate to eflect a cutting action, and tension means for holding the teeth oi said shear plate and said cutter in contact said tension means beingl in the form of a coil spring secured at one end to the cutter and at its other end to the shear plate. and said end secured to the cutter being movable in two directions lrelatively thereto.

2. A shaving device comprising a toothed shear plate, a toothed cutter mounted for movement in slidable adjacency to said shear plate, and said teeth on the cutter being adapted to cooperate with said teeth on the shear platev to effect a cuting action, and resilient tension means for holdingy theA teeth oi said shear plate and said cutter in contact said resilient tension means being in the form of a coil spring secured at one end to the cutter and at its other end to the shear plate in such a manner as to permit relative adjusting movements between said ends and said cutter and shear plate respectively.l f

3. A shaving device having a shear plate provided with teeth disposed in spaced rows on opposite sides thereof, a cutter mounted for movementin slidable 'adjacency to said shear plate, said cutter having parallel teeth disposed in two parallel rows on opposite sides of a solid face engaging portion, and said teeth on the cutter being adapted to cooperate with said teeth on the shear plate to effect a cutting action, and means acting onlybetweensaidshear plate andsald.'

cutter to hold the teeth thereof in contact, said means being in the torm o! a coil spring having one end anchored to the cutterso as to be adapted for slight movement relatively thereto,

and Vhaving its other end anchored to the shear plate so as to be adapted for slight movement relatively thereto.

4. A dry shaver comprising a pair of relatively movable members each Iprovided with cutting teeth and the teeth of one member being slidably superposed on the teeth of the other member, and means for maintaining said teeth oi said respective members in sliding engagement,h said means comprising a coil spring secured at'each end to one of said members, and one end-of said spring being mounted relatively to the member to which it is secured so as to be positionally self-adjusting in all directions in a plane sub stantially at right angles toits direction of pull.

5. In a dry shaver, a pair of relatively movable members provided Withlcoacting cutting teeth,

and tension means for drawing said members to-v 

